A Soldier's Return
by Zing-baby
Summary: After somehow surviving her journey through the Omega 4 Relay, a nostalgic Shepard tries to reclaim the most important aspects of her old life. In order to save humanity she must regain the trust of the Alliance, and it won’t be easy. Post ME2, Shenko.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect. I'm just in love with BioWare's characters, and I am in no way making money from spouting my fangirlishness.**

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**Prologue:**

_"I hear the wind call my name,_

_The sound that leads me home._

_It sparks up the fire - a flame that still burns,_

_To you, I will always return."_

_-I Will Always Return,_ Bryan Adams

***

Shepard wasn't sure how they had survived. She'd skimmed along the thin edge of death a hundred times before, enough to have considerable faith in herself. Maybe part of her knew she could, and would, survive this too. She _had_ too.

And Shepard was nothing if not a survivor.

Still, the lines of what she _could_ do, and what she should've been able to, were becoming uneven. The casualties suffered from the Normandy's journey into the Omega 4 relay were frightening.

Because they hadn't had any.

Commander Shepard either had someone of divine power looking out for her and her crew, or they were the luckiest sons of bitches this galaxy had ever seen.

There had been ecstatic celebration among the crew upon their return to the Terminus systems, even some hysterical laughter from residual shock. Everyone was in an extreme state of relieved euphoria at their success, including Jacob and Miranda, despite the sudden and abrupt end to their relationship the man that had so far supplied them with their very livelihood.

Shepard had to admit that between death, and a very substantial 'fuck you', she was beginning to form a a rather creative pattern of finding ways to quit jobs.

Though, as far as Shepard was concerned, she had never quit the Alliance. But as long as the Alliance remained ignorant of the Reaper threat, the commander had been dependent on Cerberus's resources. But that didn't keep her from secretly forwarding all of her mission reports directly to Anderson. Though he never replied, she knew he'd gotten them.

She felt she'd done what the Illusive man had brought her back to accomplish; debt paid in full. The protection of the human race was back on track. Now she needed to work on the protection of _all_ existence, and for that, she needed her old life.

Her new crew, even the members that had previously left the Alliance Service, has been more than willing to follow her when she'd had announced they'd be leaving behind all connections to Cerberus. They responded with encouraging confirmations that they were _her_ crew. And if anyone could get the job done it was her, no matter what colors she was wearing. There were a few that were even eager to scrape the Cerberus logo off the bulkheads after hearing what the Illusive Man had asked of her in the Collector base.

It didn't take long for Shepard to make plans for what their next step would be, and she was anxious to begin. She was nostalgic now for all the things she had once had and believed in, and was keen to make headway in a direction she could thoroughly get behind.

She instructed Joker to plot a course for the Citadel. They still had a lot of work to do. She had to convince the Alliance that she could be trusted again. And then she had to persuade them further to mass together against an enemy that they had so far been denied knowledge of. With only circumstantial evidence…

It wasn't going to be simple, but Shepard was a woman who didn't know how to fail. She'd already transmitted a missive to Anderson to inform him of her newest goals and game plan.

But not before alerting someone _else_ of her survival.

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**I know, it's a teaser, but I'm excited to share this idea. :D Keep your eyes open! Chapter 1 soon to follow. **


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or any of its associated characters.**

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**Chapter 1**

***

**Shepard**

An unmistakable gasp crashed around Shepard's ears as she entered the board room of the Alliance Affairs Office on the Citadel.

The room was packed with ship captains, admirals, and officers, the most important of who were seated behind a risen platform at the head of the room.

On a podium in front of them stood Captain Anderson, revealing to them for the first time the actual endeavors of the original Normandy, and the truth behind the previously unexplainable events in civilized space.

Rows upon rows of anxious Alliance personnel stood resolute behind him, whispering and clucking together over what it could mean. But as Shepard took her first few fully-armored steps into the hall, a hiss of shushing spread like wild fire through the congregation of blue uniforms until even the Alliance Board of Officers, with whom Anderson had been conversing, were alerted to her presence.

Anderson turned to the disruption, a small light flickering behind his eyes as he caught sight of her and Joker (who had come along with support and a whole lot of attitude) excusing their way through the drones of hushes and murmurs.

She approached with determination, saluting him with respect before shaking his hand and taking his place on the stand before the board.

"Commander Shepard," an older man addressed her. She recognized him as Admiral Dawson, head of the Department for Earthen Planetary Defense.

She nodded steadily to him, taking note of his colleagues on either side of him. Rear Admiral Harnard who ran the main Alliance Office here on the Citadel sat to the far left. Between him and Dawson was Admiral Cheng, the only female on the board and to whom Shepard had looked up to when she'd first enlisted. The woman wore her uniforms crisp and her black hair tied impossibly tight in a bun on top of her head. It made Shepard feel a little more nervous now that her own hair had become longer than regulation, and the ponytail she had tried to pull it back in for the occasion was a little sloppier than should've been allowed. She shook her mind of the notion though. There were larger issues at hand.

On the other side of Dawson was Admiral Plater, an elder blonde who was head of the newest department overlooking the Alliance's relationship with Colonial Affairs. And finally, rounding the group off was Admiral Hackett, looking grey and gruff as always. But he nodded to her when her eyes fell on him in recognition, looking a little less agitated than the others appeared, but otherwise indifferent to her entrance.

"We're surprised to see you in good health," Dawson continued. "Reports of your survival were vague… and unsettling."

"I'm prepared to provide a blood sample," she offered amiably, knowing that is wasn't unreasonable for them to be suspicious of her existence. She'd come to terms long ago that she would have to submit herself to many hours of scrutiny before they finally believed it was really her. "Or any other requirements you may have of me. I understand my death caused quite the complication."

"Or seeming death," the Admiral corrected.

She ignored the urge to tell him she really had died. She had enough 'impossible' anomalies to inform him of as it were.

"I regret that I was unable to return to you sooner," she told the board, taking a moment to address each of them with a nod. "I believe Councilor Anderson has filled you in about my whereabouts since being reported Missing in Action."

"Yes," Dawson replied slowly. She could already hear the distrust in his voice. "We acknowledge your show of loyalty through forwarding your mission reports to Alliance Command, but fear we still have doubts about the nature of your relationship to Cerberus. Or it's supposed recent termination."

Next to him, Cheng stood to speak as well, the fluorescent lights glinting off her tightly knotted black hair. "We also question the validity of your other claims as well, Commander. We see that you accredit the vanishing of our outer colonies to the Collectors, and that you terminated them by pursuing them through the Omega 4 Relay. Forgive us, Commander, for being curious as to how you managed that."

"I have proof of the Collectors' involvement." Shepard tucked her arms behind her back. "Video recorded by a quarian named Veetor on his pilgrimage of Freedom's Progress at the time of its attack. Collectors can be seen piling the bodies into their ship." A general grumble started behind her at her words, but she ignored it.

"We also have a report from our Alliance Rep that was stationed on Horizon at the time of its invasion as well," Anderson reminded them from behind her. "The Collectors were present there as well."

"My ship can also provide you with tactical back logs and recordings of my mission through the Omega 4 Relay." Shepard diplomatically side-stepped the word 'AI'. Too many more surprises and she'd have to provide the board with their own set of crash helmets.

"If what you claim is true, Commander, then the problem has already resolved itself," Cheng tried to conclude.

"Humanity has bigger issues now," Shepard declared, shifting her weight beneath her. Behind her, she sensed Anderson bristle under the knowledge of what she was about to announce. "Might I suggest that everyone without upper level clearance be asked to leave the assembly?"

There was a loud chittering of disagreement and curiosity from the crowd, and the board looked at each other with renewed uncertainty.

Shepard waited patiently, meeting the gaze of her superiors with a serious and insistent expression.

"Will those beneath the rank of, or equivalent to, 'commander' please vacate the hall until further instructed?" Dawson's voice carried over her head to the disgruntled sighs of the audience.

There was a great scuffling as the lower ranking officers obeyed. Though the crowd thinned, bodies spread and dispersed to fill the newly formed gaps, giving the illusion of a similar end capacity.

When the last of the exits had closed, Shepard returned her attention to the board, their eyes now eagerly searching her face. She breathed deeply in preparation of her proclamation, letting the silence allude to the heaviness of her words.

"I believe you are aware of the creatures known as 'husks'?"

Cheng nodded, on the other end of the panel, Hackett thrummed his fingers. The others leaned forward attentively, but otherwise remained unmoving. It was Harnard who finally spoke.

"Yes, the corpse-like creations of the Geth."

Shepard shook her head. "They are an invention of an extra-galactic machine race called the Reapers."

Behind her, more murmurs and a few amused huffs emitted from the mass. She took no notice of these ones either.

"Extra-galactic machine race?" Dawson repeated, a bushy grey eyebrow rising.

Shepard reached back to retrieve a data pad Joker produced for her, setting it to 'projection' and balancing it on her palm. Above the pulpit, an image of Sovereign during the assault on the Presidium glowed ominously.

"One of them attacked the Citadel two years ago. Officially, the Council declared it Geth technology. They are wrong."

"The Council is in denial," Anderson interjected to her left. "Commander Shepard has been focusing the last three years of her career towards the efforts against these machines."

"And we're supposed to accept this holo as evidence?" Plater finally entered the conversation. "How can we know that this is not a product of the Geth, as the Council has told us?"

"Is there anyone on this board who honestly thinks the Council is beyond withholding information?" Shepard felt a little pride in Joker's need to defend her, and she was even more impressed by his ability to temper his initial thoughts and iterate them appropriately.

"And you are?" Dawson asked the pilot.

"Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau." Joker stepped a little forward. "Primary pilot under Commander Shepard since the construction of the SR1 three years ago. And with all due respect, sir, you should listen to what she has to say."

He backed away to relinquish the spotlight back to his commander, but not before she could discreetly slip him an appreciative smile.

There was a short moment of tension among the board at the pilot's statement, but with quiet glances to each other it slowly died away.

"Continue, Commander. What is it you've learned?"

Shepard stepped away from the podium and with questioning quirk of a brow asked permission to approach. Cheng gave a tiny nod and Shepard advanced, stepping forward to place the projection in front of Admiral Hackett, who looked upon the impending image with appraising but otherwise uninterested eyes before passing it to his right.

"The machine race was named by the Protheans as 'Reapers'. They were responsible for their annihilation 60,000 years ago. I've found recent evidence that the prisoners of that age were genetically modified beyond recognition. The Protheans are known now as what we like to call the Collectors, though they have very few genetic links to what they once were."

Shepard had begun to get used to the constant hum of whispers continually resonating from the crowded hall. It had become as dull and consistent as ocean waves, even if it had spiked at this new information. As she spoke, she returned to her position behind the podium to look up at the Admirals, carefully gauging their reactions as she divulged all she dared.

"There are theories that the Reapers have repeated this process more times than we can fathom, retuning to dark space each time, though that is harder to prove," she continued. "Each time civilization reaches a certain point, they return, wiping out whole races and imprisoning others."

"Why?" Plater pressed, a scowl crossing his weathered features.

"Reproduction," Shepard explained. "though I have no proof of that either. During the infiltration of the Collector base, we found that humans were being transformed into grey matter, which in turn went into the construction of new Reapers. You'll excuse me if I was too occupied to take samples."

"It seems that you have an awful lot of _theories_, Commander Shepard." Harnard leaned forward in his seat.

Shepard stood a little taller, being sure to send a strong vibe that she was not about to back down and second guess herself. "I'm more knowledgeable about them now than ever before. I can prove the Collectors were once Protheans, and I have the ability to provide you will all the Geth knowledge you will need. That will help prove that Sovereign, the Reaper that attacked the citadel, was not of Geth make."

"And what are you hoping to accomplish with all this 'evidence', Commander Shepard?" Cheng asked.

It was a reasonable request. And the reason that Shepard had come. Still, she breathed deeply and closed her eyes for the blow that she was about to unleash.

"The Alliance needs to mobilize," she said loudly so that the whole room could hear her. The constant generator like hum suddenly revved into an all-out vocal outburst, but she raised her voice over it, speaking with both strength and authority. "We need to stop chasing down our Geth allies, stop celebrating a victory we did not earn, and start building more ships."

By the time she finished the hall was in an uproar. She was hearing herself be called a radical, among other things uttered in frustration at the 'inconvenience' such a thing would cause. She tuned it all out. "We need to start transporting our people off Earth!"

There were yells and shouts filling the room now at that last statement, and the Admirals looked at each other with disgruntled and disbelieving expressions.

It wasn't until Dawson ordered silence, his large tone booming through the room, that she could hear herself think.

"Commander Armelle Shepard," Dawson stood and pressed his hands against the desk to lean forward on them. His face was tight, his voice tighter as he attempted to stare his target down. "Are you actually suggesting that we _evacuate Earth_?"

The noise level rose again, but Shepard drilled her own words over it. "The Reapers are _coming_, and they're targeting humans! They know now that _we_ have the best chance to defeat them. If we keep the majority of our people on Earth, they can nearly wipe us out in one fell swoop!" she defended. "By redistributing our populations to our colonies we can reduce the total number of casualties no matter where they strike first, it will buy us time!"

"Are you so sure that they will strike?" Harnard rose from his own chair so his voice could carry over the continued roar of grumbles.

"Yes," Shepard reiterated darkly. "We can prepare until we are up our hind quarters in battle ships, but there is never going to be a way to predict where they'll attack first. And I can guarantee that at least for the first assault, we'll be completely unaware until it is too late!"

"You're gambling with lives, Commander!"

The outbursts started again and too soon Dawson was forced to shush the hall once more. Shepard waited patiently. The cat was out of the bag now. Well, at least the largest one. The voices never really ceased, but once they'd been reduced to mutterings, Dawson addressed her again.

"Commander Shepard, you have come here to announce, not only your survival, but your connections to Cerberus, and its end, in addition to the deception of the Council, the reason for the Protheans' disappearance, the introduction of an ancient mechanical race hell bent on genocide, and the future attack on our people. Not to mention the neutralization of the Collectors, and the Geth, which we still have to discuss by the way, and all this with little to no evidence, and whole lot of guesswork on your part."

"The evidence you _have_ supplied us with will need to be looked over by our own people," Cheng cut in. "But I'm afraid with your recent involvement with Cerberus we can hardly justify even that." The woman looked for a moment that she might apologize for judging so vindictively, but she did not.

"Unless, someone here can vouch for you," Dawson threw her a line.

They weren't promising anything. Just further discussion. It was with well concealed frustration that Shepard understood that was the most she was going to get out of them. But, it was a start.

"I will vouch for Shepard," Anderson said, stepping forward. "As commanding officer of the Normandy at the time of its first encounter with Saren, the geth, and the first Reaper, Sovereign."

"Your word will not count for much, Councilor," Dawson said regrettably. "Since your position on the Council prevents you from coming forward officially, and breaking your vow of silence."

"Is there anyone else that will vouch for Shepard's word?" Cheng asked the room.

Shepard wanted to turn around, to implore the room with honest eyes and confident stance, but pride would not allow it. Instead she was forced to stand vigilant against the skepticism of her own people. The Alliance, that had housed her and taught her honor, duty, and determination. And now… they were hanging her for it.

"I will vouch for her."

_Screw pride_. She knew that voice.

She spun with measured swiftness, searching the crowd of onlookers, seeking the face that she had memorized in connection to that sincere tone.

There, movement at the back, people parting to open a path for a man with black armor, and even darker hair.

She'd been seeing him everywhere since waking up in the Cerberus labs, only to discover with a fractured heart that is wasn't him. Now she didn't trust her eyes until he finally reached the front of the congregation. Brown eyes met her gaze, and she mouthed his name silently in emotion that she did her best to contain.

"Kaidan." It rested on her lips, her self control requiring that it be passed without a sound. The Admirals had begun speaking.

"Commander Alenko," Hackett said, his voice drifting over Shepard's burning ears. "Glad to see you made good time."

Shepard kept her eyes on Kaidan, watching him grow and develop before her. He was a leader now. She saw that in the way he moved, the business-like way he took to the podium, demanding respect, just as she had. Assertive, and strong.

Everything he'd always been, but had kept buried beneath the loyalty and support he had held for his previous CO.

He began articulating without preamble, and Shepard found herself nearly staring at the back of his thick hair in slight awe, though she kept her face from showing such signs.

"I was with Commander Shepard for the expanse of the SR1 Normandy's life. I battled the Geth at her side, saw the ruin of the Prothean empire on Ilos, the Prothean VI hologram, the interface with Sovereign himself on Virmire, and I fought with her during the attack on the Citadel two years ago…

"I was present at every path of discovery until Shepard's collusion with Cerberus." Oh, how that word made her _hurt_. Even he seemed to pause at it, but he recovered more quickly than she did. As the man she had loved with all she possessed continued to argue for her honor, she found herself growing slightly dizzy at the meaning behind it. She'd sent him a missive almost immediately after her return from the relay, and when he hadn't answered she'd begun to wonder if she herself had read to much into the message he'd sent her after Horizon. When he said what they had shared meant everything to him. He had said that, right?

"If Shepard says the Reapers are coming, then we damn well better be ready."

There was silence from the board, and Shepard finally tore her gaze from her advocate, remembering where she was.

"Very well, Commander," Cheng finally said after a long look with the others. Kaidan nodded to the woman and took a step back, letting his gloved hands fall to his sides and allowing the attention to fall back on his former commanding officer.

"Shepard, you will provide us with all the data and evidence you have collected thus far. The board will review the information and reconvene in two days at o-twelve-hundred. Until then, we ask that you stay on the Citadel. We have much to discuss. Be prepared to afford us with more enlightenment on this… Geth solution you seem to have composed."

"Yes, ma'am." Shepard nodded.

"We will also need to discuss your employment with Cerberus to full extent."

Shepard physically agreed again, and there was a break in which they all wondered how many questions they could get away with asking now, and how many they should save until later.

In the end though, it was Dawson who stood and dismissed the hall, the Admirals gathering their things more slowly than the rest. Shepard watched for a moment, hoping to see if they would continue discussing the evening's events among themselves, but they appeared as exhausted as she, too many thoughts to keep them straight long enough to try to sort through them.

She then turned to seek out her supporter, the man that had stood up for her, but as she rotated, she found herself losing his figure as he retreated into the exiting crowds. He moved quickly, like liquid, with purpose…

Her heart fell. Why was he running? She had wanted to thank him. No, it was more than that. She wanted to see him, to meet his eyes, to feel again. She would've done anything to keep that emotion again, after being void of such feeling for so long...

"Well fought, Commander," Anderson interrupted her thoughts with a clap on the shoulder. "It could've gone better, but their ears are open now. It's going to take them awhile to digest everything you've unveiled here tonight, but it's a start. The hard part is over."

"Thank you, sir." She hoped there was enough sincerity in her smile to make it appear genuine.

"The hard part is going to have to wait to see if they're going to even bother listening to us," Joker disagreed, grimly. "If they decide not to organize, the whole galaxy is shit out of luck."

Shepard gave him a weak grin and put her arm around his shoulders. "Always the optimist, Joker. What would I do without you?"

"Die," he replied easily. But his lips held a teasing smirk. "But really spectacularly of course."

She finally smiled and a calm form of camaraderie settled on the three of them as if it had been their first week on the Normandy together, before the idea of Reapers, or even Geth and Saren had entered their minds.

The whole thing made Shepard tired, and as her eyes cravingly sought the few remaining members of assembly fruitlessly for her surprise supporter, she felt her armor weigh a little heavier on her body.

She sighed before walking back up to the now empty Admiral platform to retrieve her data pad, and carried herself back down to her two friends.

The hall was empty now except for them and she nodded with a wry smile to the doors in suggestion. They moved together quietly, and she found herself lifting her chin a little higher. Maybe her return wasn't what it should've been, but she couldn't help but feel that she was at least one tiny step closer to reclaiming a part of herself.

Anderson held the door open for her and she stepped out in to the blank hall, only to find that it too had been mostly abandoned now, its inhabitants vacating to their quarters or perhaps out for a quick bite to eat. She began to inhale deeply in settlement…

"Shepard?"

She stopped breathing.

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**So ends Chapter One. **


End file.
